Educational toy frame



Oct. 17, 1961 G. F. BENKELMAN 3,004,364

EDUCATIONAL TOY FRME Filed May 25, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 20 /3 4 l,/:2I9", T0 ,2A IQAI 1/ 3 0 ,2A @j f@ ma (2l L24 L/8 l5 24 if J FIG. 2 l/17/81I d4 0 /IZA ,19A 7 0 ,(/ZA Zhou; C11 ^'5-{'i 23 p f5 f @Lm '19 l/6 l23A g Y Fl Q) 29A, G 3 3 0 l l l ,1 f) l EL? @i @1i i? L5 vk29 Y J i l23 O'. G I INVENTOR.

` L29A GLEN F BENKELMN F/G 5a BY @Zz Oct. 17, 1961 Filed May 25, 1959 G.F. BENKELMAN 3,004,364

EDUCATIONAL 'roy FRAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l .9) /'8 /ZA l i i F/G4 /9\l/la 35 55E Lf 1 l l i F/G. 5

. l?) fl? 55 Ii F/G 6 /8 19, //8 /8\l I s f x i if a /2A i [3@ i l F167/ZA g g [I8: a a /ZA I [I3/mg 13:3@ l H68 FIG.l lO FIG.

INVENTOR. GLEN l? BENKELMAN BW? Mu/V 'I'his invention relates to toyblocks, and more particularly to toy building blocks suitable forinterlocking to form various structures.

States Patent O Children like to play with blocks and as a child growsolder he very likely will have a propensity to enjoy building structuresof his own design. This is both educational and enjoyable -for thechild. In his building, the child, in many cases, enjoys experimentingwith and changing the structure he has created, but yet he may desirethat these structures have a rather high degree of stability. He willalso desire that the blocks he uses be capable of being assembled anddisassembled with ease and simplicity.

Accordingly, one of the principal objects of this invention is toprovide a toy building block which can be quickly combined with asimilar block in forming a structure.

Another object of this invention is to provide a toy building blockwhich can be used with similar blocks to build a relatively stablestructure.

Another object of this invention is to provide a toy building block thatis relatively simple to combine with similar blocks to provide a varietyof structures.

Another object ofl this invention is Ato provide a toy buildingblock'that has means for operative connection to similar toy blocks.

A related object is to'provide a toy building block that has endextensions that can be interlocked with similar toy blocks.

[Another related objectl of this invention is to provide a toy buildingblock that has a'n extension to be an operative connection with asimilar block and means for holding a similar block in operativeconnection.

Another related object of this invention is to provide a toy buildingblock having extensions, apertures to accept similar extensions, andangularly extending intersecting apertures to receive pins to locksimilar blocks together.

Another related object of this invention is to provide an elongatedsquare cross-sectioned building block having extensions andextension-accepting apertures, and angularly extending intersectingapertures in the blocks to lock the extensions to a similar block bymeans of a locking pm.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had byreferring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a group of buildin-g blocks inoperative connection;

FIGURE 2 is a plan View of two building blocks;

FIGURE 2A illustrates an alternative embodiment permitting coupling andpinning from either top or side position;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the blocks of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 3A is a side view of the female ended block of FIGURE 2A;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged plan view of the block shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURES 5 through 8 are each side elevational views of alternateembodiments of the invention;

FIGURE 9 is a plan view of a ller block;

`FIGURE 10 is a side elevational view of the block shown in FIGURE 9;and,

FIGURE l1 is a side elevational view of a locking pin.

ICC

Referring to FIGURE 2 of the drawings, there is illustrated a pair ofmated building blocks 10 and 30. Block 10 is a femalestructure and block30 is a male structure. The blocks 10 and 30 have a body portion 11having hrst and second spaced opposite ends. First and second femaleconnector means are provided, each composed of two rectangularextensions 12 and 24. The body portion 11 of the blocks each has a facesurface 13, 14, |15, and 16 dening, in the illustrated embodiment, arectangular cross-sectional body. The extensions 12 and 24 are deiinedby the face surfaces 2.0 and 21 respectively, which are extensions ofbody surfaces 13` and 15, and by a connection means accepting slot 17. Alocking pin aperture 23 extends transversely through the extensions 12and 24 which are provided to accept a locking pin, such as locking pin26 illustrated in FIGURE 11.

The body portion has a connection means receiving aperture 19dimensioned and positioned to accept male connection means of anotherblock and serve as a socket to receive such connection means. The widthof the body `11 in the area lof the socket 19* is such that the distancefrom one surface of socket 19 to the parallel face surface of the blockwill permit one of the connections 20 or 24 to reside in the socket 19and the Votherrextension to reside on the surface of the block, with thebody structure therebetween residing in and meshing with the slot 17.The connections 20 and 24 each have approximately the dimensions ofconnector 12. Thus, another block dimensioned as the block 10 may beinterlocked with the block 10. by inserting one of the extension membersinto the socket 19 and the other extension member positioned on the facesurface of the block. An oifset connection is thus provided. t

A pin aperture 18 extends through the body 11 in a transverse directionto the direction of the socket 19 and f is dimensioned to receive a pin26. Thus, the mated blocks may be removably interlocked for a solidconstruction.

In the preferred embodiment as illustrated, the side walls of theextensions 20 and 24 are extensions of the surfaces 14 and 16. Thus, theblock 10 is a longitudinal member of rectangular cross-section havingslotted ends to receive a male connection or to receive one of theresultant extensions -of the slotted female block and with crossapertures to receive locking pins.

Also in FIGURE 2, the male block 30 is constructed with all dimensionsand proportions similar to the blocks 10, but with single extension`members or male connections 12 as male connections. The connections 12are dimensioned exactly as each of the extensions 20 and 24. Hence, itwill be seen that the lateral dimension of the block 10 is three timesthe lateral dimension of a single extension 20 or 24, and that thelateral dimension of the extensions 12 and 24 is equal to the lateraldimension of the slot 17. This modular arrangement permits amultiplicity of combinations not heretofore available in conventionaltoy blocks.

The block 11 is also provided with transverse pin receiving openingsindicated by reference character 23A, which are provided for the purposeof permitting the connections 12 to be locked into engagement with slots17, socket 19, or a slot 19A provided through the central portion of themale blocks 30.

The versatility of this toy construction is greatly enhanced by themodification set forth in the FIGURES 2A and 3A. Here it will be seenthat the socket areas centrally of the blocks are in the form of twocross slotted sockets 29 and 29A. Hence, the female extensions or themale extensions of other `blocks may be inserted in either directionthrough the central portion and may be locked therein by a pin 26.

The FIGURE 4 illustrates the male version of the blocks set forth inFIGURE 2, for better comparison with the alternate structures of FIGURES5 through 8.

f, In the FIGURE 5 the construction is identical inall respects with theblock. of FIGURE 4 With the exception that the male connection,indicated by reference character 3S, is half the thickness of thesimilar extension 12 of FIGURE 4. It is often desirable to have twoblocks extending in two directions from another block. Since theextension members of the block of FIGURE 2 are all dimensioned to iitexactly into the recessed sockets, such extensions from a singlelocation in opposite directions is impossible. However, with the halfthickness extension 35 the two blocks of FIGURE 5 may be inserted intoany given socket recess and extended from that single recess inalignment or at an angular direction, in the case of an end junction.Furthermore, whenever such a block as that illustrated in FIGURE 5 is tobe extended alone from a single socket, a ller block which can beconsidered a partl of the male connection means 36 as set forth in FIG-URE 9 may be inserted with the male connection 35 to lill the unusedspace intended for another connection 35. Locking pin apertures withoutreference characters are provided through the connection 35 and throughthe similar blocks setforth in FIGURE 9 for the same purpose as setforth previously.

The block illustrated in the FIGURE 6 has one female end and one maleend, and provides further combination effects.

The block of FIGURE 7 is provided with a plurality of socket recessesthrough the body portion of the blockv and the illustrated embodimentsets forth two sockets passing through the body of a block in onedirection and the third passing at a 90-degree angle through theopposite direction.

The FIGURE 7 illustrates a hybrid type of block with a female and a maleend and the FIGURE 8 illustrates the same type of lcentral bodystructure withA two male ends.

Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with acertain degree of'particularily, it is understood that the present'disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of exampleand that numerous changes in the Cletails of construction and thecombination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to withoutdeparting fromY the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafterclaimed'.l A i I claim: Y

A toy building block, comprising, a body of square cross section longerthan wide, saidbody having at least one projection from each end whichprojection is onethird as thick as the block width and is as wide as theblock, one slot through the body between two sides and another slotintersecting the one slot and extending between the remaining two faces,said slots dimensioned one-third as thickas the block and as wide as theblock to receive an end projection of another block having endprojections of like form, a pin aperture axially of each slot andcentered with respect to the slot, each end projection having atransverse lock-pin opening, whereby a projection may be inserted into aslot of a like block and aV pin placed to vlock the projection into theblock slot. Y

References Cited in the le ofv this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS GreatBritain ---a Jan. 16, 1952

